Cultural Competence? Moi?

[featherynscale]

We watched The Wicker Man last night, the original one. As unlikely as it seems, I'd not seen it before. I'm guessing that this is a film that plays very differently depending on the cultural context the viewer has. About halfway through, I'm looking at triadruid, and saying "What kind of movie is this supposed to be?". He reads the box blurb to me; "The Citizen Kane of Horror Films," is what it says. I take a moment to consider what Citizen Kane would be like as a horror film. Then I realize he's saying that the movie we're watching is a horror film. I would not otherwise have realized this, mostly because it's full of folk-singing, and happy children skipping and dancing. Somebody did not study at the Edgar Allen Poe School of Single Effect, I'm thinking.

Anyway, who are we supposed to be sympathetic to in this film? Sgt. Howe does get killed at the end of the film, but he's also sort of an ass throughout. The Summerisle people get most of the film's attention, with all their little cultural oddities, and they seem like a pretty likeable bunch. But then, you know, human sacrifice (and particularly the sacrifice of someone who doesn't buy into their system), which is not fun times with the family. And, as triadruid points out, it's difficult to imagine Christopher Lee in a role where he's not the bad guy.

All in all, it was a little like watching the Rocky Horror Picture Show, except that RHPS is morally ambiguous and promotes the 'bad guy' over the 'good guys' on purpose, where this seems to stumble into it accidentally. Ah well, maybe it's just the 70s.

Comments

[lilia-blackbear.livejournal.com]

I love that movie in a way I am completely sure is not healthy, but not in a fanatic way. Even though Christopher Lee is usually a bad guy (but is being an overprotective dentist father really bad?), he played Lord Summerisle beautifully. And I completely did not see him as a bad guy. But yeah, cultural context -- I never saw the movie as a Christian. Or as a Scot, but that would be impossible, inconceivable, really, because I've never been a Scot. But I did appreciate Christopher Lee wearing a kilt. And the blend of accents. Scottish, British, Swedish... well, they're all Northern European so they could be on a small island together! Anyhoo, I have never met a Pagan yet who actually thought the movie was a horror movie. Of course, I've never met a Christian who thought it was either... come to think of it, I know a few Buddhists who have seen the movie and didn't think it a horror movie... The movie industry and reviewers call it a horror movie. Christopher Lee has said numerous times that his favorite role he ever played was Lord Summerisle. Even after having played Saruman.

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

A Bit of Trivia: Up to one-third of the population of the Orkneys can claim Scandinavian descent.

Pesky Norse invaders.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

That's not invaders...that's whassname. Cultural exchange.